Abstract

Barium titanate (BaTiO₃) exhibits very strong non-linear optical properties and is utilized for numerous optical applications, including optical phase conjugation, laser optical storage and image processing. The photorefractive effect is reportedly the phenomenon resulting in the unique non-linear optical behavior. As charge migration is a key process in the photorefractive effect, the formation of crystalline defects giving rise to the charge carriers is of fundamental importance. The nature of the crystalline defects influencing photorefractivity in BaTiO₃ is presently unknown, however, variations in crystal growth or other thermal processing does influence the formation of photorefractive charge carriers. Optimized crystal growth processes and thermal annealing can be employed to develop key material parameters and improve the overall photorefractive efficiency of BaTiO₃.

© 1987 Optical Society of America